Completed in summer 2009, the St. Mary’s Spiritual Center Visitor Center in Baltimore features a unique curved roofing application that lends a traditional aesthetic appeal. Follansbee W.Va.-based Follansbee’s TCS II metal roof panels were installed as a 1-inch (25-mm) double lock standing-seam roof for the building. The curved metal roof combines visual intrigue with durability for a classic, high-performance addition to the building envelope.
The new Visitor Center grew out of the need to interpret the St. Mary’s Chapel, which once served as the oldest Catholic seminary in the United States. Modern, yet traditional looking building materials were selected to provide the new facility with a timeless look that would blend well with its historic setting.
“The building’s roof is visible, so it was important to carefully consider roofing options,” explained Alan Reed, president and design principal for Baltimore-based GWWO Inc./Architects. “We wanted a modern material that would coexist comfortably within the historic setting of St. Mary’s. Given the arched form, a metal roof was the perfect choice.”
Organized around two walls—one brick and the other stone—that are remnants of the original seminary, the Visitor Center provides access to both structures with an interior ramp and stairs that brings visitors to a lower lobby and garden level. The east side of the brick wall is new construction that is simple but contemporary in design, while the west side incorporates an historic wooden colonnade that defines the eastern edge of the chapel grounds.
Henry Lewis Contractors, Owings Mills, Md., was the general contractor; York Roofing, York, Pa., as the roofing installer; and North Coast, York, was the distributor.
Follansbee, www.follansbeeroofing.com
